Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey, Goes after Manish Mehta, NFL Writer at the Daily News

Chris Christie, the Governor of New Jersey, went on WFAN radio in New York this morning and called an NFL reporter an “idiot” and a “dope.” What could generate such a harsh response from the Governor about a reporter? Well, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News was doing his job, and apparently if you ask penetrating questions about Christie’s friend Rex Ryan, you’ll get called names.

Saturday night, for possibly the first time in his 4-year tenure as coach of the Jets, Rex Ryan completely lost me. After rookie Geno Smith struggled through three interceptions, Ryan inexplicably inserted starting QB Mark Sanchez into the game late in the second half. Sanchez promptly injured his shoulder (no word yet on the severity). Afterward, Mehta asked Ryan if Smith had a chance to start in week 1, and it prompted the coach to react like a guy fighting for his job.

“Idiot. The guy’s a complete idiot. Self-consumed, underpaid, reporter … the only way he’s empowered is because we’re spending all this time talking about Manish Mehta this morning … Who, by the way, I couldn’t pick out of a lineup and no Jets fan gives a damn about Manish Mehta … We shouldn’t be giving this dope, you know, the amount of airtime we’ve given him already.”

Jason McIntyre

Spent a few years as a sportswriter in newspapers, then a few years as a magazine reporter, and freelanced for many outlets before starting The Big Lead in 2006. It was sold in 2010 and acquired by USA Today in 2012. Jason can also be heard on Fox Sports Radio, Saturday mornings from 6-9 am EST.